Friday, March 29, 2013

Portable Air Cleaner Makes It Easier To Breathe

By Jill Faulkner


Individuals who have difficulty due to pollutants in the atmosphere, even in their home, may benefit from a portable air cleaner. Not all are equally effective. Some only provide mechanical filters to trap particles while others are made to prevent bacteria, odors and gases. Before making a purchase, be sure to know the features needed or wanted.

The first variable to decide is the seriousness of the problem to be addressed. If one requires the cleanest atmosphere, he or she will need to choose a better unit to get the job done. Those who have problems with chemicals or asthma may require a different type device than those who have pollen allergy problems. Chemical allergies can be caused by any number of different compounds and some users have found the glue from a HEPA filter might cause reactions.

Be sure to consider the volume of the room to be treated. To keep the atmosphere clean it must pass through the filter several times every hour. Even if a machine uses the greatest of filters it cannot be effective in a room if it is too small. At a very minimum the device should provide two full exchanges every hour.

The type of room where the unit is to be used is also important. Since some create much more noise than others they might not be appropriate in a bedroom. It is sometimes better to select a smaller unit that meets the minimum requirements to reduce noise. In family rooms where traffic is higher, a larger exchange rate may be advantageous.

Consumers may want to consider that units rated at the minimal exchange rate for a room must operate on high most of the time. However, selecting a larger device offers more effective initial cleaning and allows the unit to be set to a lower speed. The reduced fan speed may reduce the output of noise.

Some purifiers offer an IR detector to monitor the particulates in the room. These devices automatically run on high speed when turned on, but as the particles decrease through filtration, the device moves to a lower speed. Unfortunately, many users find the area being measured is too small for the device to make the determination.

Critical measurements of the effectiveness of a unit include the actual number of exchanges offered each hour and the percentage of particulates removed during each exchange. The second number is called efficiency. Higher efficiency machines remove more particles each time the exchange takes place. The efficiency of the device is a better measure than efficiency of a filter. The HEPA filter removes all bout 0.03% of particles greater than 0.3 microns, however it can be installed on a machine that allows 50% of each exchange bypass the filter, reducing machine efficiency, causing a poor performance overall and not solving the problem

If breathing in one's own home becomes a problem, installing a portable air cleaner might help. Such devices can effectively remove pollutants. By selecting the correct device the occupant can improve the atmosphere in the home and may find it easier to breathe.




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